The first Princess is rolled out at Cowes, October 30, 1951.

First takeoff of the first Princess, Geoffrey Tyson piloting, August 22, 1952. A crew of eleven was also aboard.

The three-quarter rear view emphasizes the "double-bubble" hull and displays the Proteus tail-pipes above the partly-lowered flaps.

Late in its flying life G-ALUN was finished in a handsome paint scheme, and appeared in this form at the 1953 SBAC show.

The ten Proteus 600 turbines, providing 25,000 h.p., gave the Princess a cruising speed of 360 m.p.h.

Two Cocooned Princesses at Calshot, photographed from Flight’s Miles Gemini in June 1957, when one of the nuclear-power rumours was current.

Taxying out for the maiden flight with wing-tip floats lowered.

G-ALUN at the point of take-off.

Two of the three Princesses, G-ALUN and G-ALUO on the Cowes slipway. In the background is G-ALUO, which was never completed. Only G-ALUN flew, amassing around 97hr before it was Cocooned with its two stablemates.

A view showing the rear pressure bulkheads, 1949.

G-ALUN rests on her beaching gear on the Cowes slipway.

Pioneering powered controls. The “bridge” of the first Princess, G-ALUN, showing the positions of pilot and copilot. A Mach meter is included in the instrumentation.

A cut-away diagram depicting the seating arrangement envisaged for the de luxe version.

Saunders-Roe SR.45 Princess